Warm Feeling
by alliope
Summary: Maka walks Crona home and they're reminded just how comfortable she makes them feel.


A/N: I'm doing prompts on tumblr, I'll probably drop them here if I think they're long enough, or I thing they can stand on their own well enough. This was a manga-verse first kiss prompt

Sometimes it was unnerving how unchanging the stony path to Crona's cell was. The soft candle lighting combined with the complete lack of windows left a very eerie atmosphere and the more times they had to walk down it, the more it bothered them.

Like, for example, this time it was late at night. They'd spent a long day out with Maka and her- well, their friends and they'd only just managed to slip back into the school thanks to a key Maka had received from her father. But walking down that hallway, they'd never be able to tell. Somehow the events of the day and the world outside melted away and bled into cracks in the floors, leaving a drained, empty feeling. There was nothing to the hallways and it reminded them too much of a certain windowless room that had taken so much of their childhood.

There was at least one difference tonight; they weren't alone.

Maka had their hand clasped in hers, walking a few steps ahead to lead them through the winding corridors to their room. They didn't need her to; they'd figured out the path to their cell within the first few days enrolled in the school as a trial student, but the feeling of Maka's gloved fingers tangled warmly through theirs was more than enough to keep them from commenting. Saying something might ruin the moment.

She'd been chatting with them for the whole walk, from tiny rants about the antics of Soul and Black*Star, to more cheerful discussions of nice weather and Tsubaki's cooking. She'd even asked them a few question, to which they responded with little nods and quiet noises. It wasn't that they weren't listening- they were- but they were tired. It had been a long day of talking and interacting and frankly Crona had had enough. It was nice that Maka valued their input, but they just couldn't muster the energy right now. Besides, it was nice to just listen to Maka talk. She had a really nice voice.

Before long they had been able to reach Crona's cell, unlocking it with another one of Maka's keys and swinging the door wide open. They entered together, Maka had been in that room so many times that Crona no longer felt obligated to invite her first. She could just come in.

Crona sat on the bed, settling themself in the corner where the bedframe met the wall. It didn't hold the same kind of comfort that their corner on the floor had and the metal bars of the frame made their arm sore, but Maka didn't seem to like it when they sat down there. She would get that sad look in her eyes and the corners of her lips would dip ever so slightly, so the spot on the bed became their new place whenever she was there. The change wasn't too bad, Maka made things easier to handle anyways. With her, they felt like they didn't need the corner as much.

Maka followed in a few steps behind them before flopping onto the edge of their bed like a ragdoll. She rolled over with a deep, sighing breath and stared up at the ceiling. Crona pulled their legs to their chest so that they wouldn't accidentally bump into her and allowed themself a tiny smile. They liked that she was comfortable enough around them to do things like this, lying on their bed. It was nice knowing that they helped Maka relax too, even if it was just a little.

She shimmied up the bed so that her head lay next to Crona's waist. "I wish I could just fall asleep right here," she mumbled, her voice slightly muffled by the fabric of their blanket. "It's such a long walk back to the apartment…"

 _You could._ The thought flickered through Crona's mind, like a traitorous gnat biting at the back of their brain. It wasn't… appropriate to want Maka to spend the night with them. It was almost too intimate, too trusting, and it would cross all the tiny lines between that Crona had become so painfully aware of in the past few weeks. But they still felt a warmth in their chest at the suggestion.

Their gaze caught on the window and quickly they remembered the bigger reason Maka couldn't stay the night. They could never tell when that late night visitor would make her appearance again. More than anything, they didn't want Maka to see her. They don't know what they would do if Maka woke up to their betrayal. Besides, Medusa wouldn't be happy if Eruka found Maka here with them. And they wouldn't want that either.

They chewed at their lip. Suddenly they felt bad that Maka was so comfortable around them, that she _trusted_ them so much.

Fortunately, their thoughts were interrupted by Maka tapping them on the knee. She was still staring at the ceiling, but a small grin had made it onto her face. "Do you think Soul would pick me up if I called him."

They furrowed their eyebrows, letting the little stone of guilt settle in their stomach to be kicked back up at a later time. They remembered that Soul hadn't offered to come with Maka to walk them home tonight. "Maybe if he's still awake…"

She snorted and they let themself grin as well, looking down at her. Her eyes were squinted shut and wrinkled in the corners as she smiled. Her smiles were always nice to look at.

Maka's eyes cracked open and for a second they stared at each other, smiling. Maka patted the bed beside her and Crona carefully unfolded their legs to lie down as well. This wasn't the first time they'd laid together. Maka seemed to like lying in the grass and watching the clouds overhead, somehow she'd convinced them to do it too. It was kind of nice.

The bed was much more comfortable then the grass, Crona thought.

They both laid facing one another, noses only inches apart. Crona wondered for a moment if they were supposed to roll on their side and look up, like they had done all those times lying with her in the grass, but there was no stars or clouds above them now. Plus Maka hadn't moved either. So they kept their eyes on her face, watching and waiting for any sort of instruction.

Her light smile slipped before sinking, a thoughtful, almost hesitant look passing through her gaze. She bit her lip. Slowly, Crona watched her shift closer to them, so that their feet brushed under the blanket. Crona shuddered, but didn't pull away, even as she raised her arms and used a hand to brush away the loose threads of sunset pink hair at their cheek. After a moment of hesitation, Crona let their shaky palms rest on Maka's waist.

A light blush passed over Maka's face as they touched her and she smiled, leaning forward to press their foreheads together.

Gently and slowly, she let her lips brush against theirs.

For a moment their heart stopped. The place where her lips had touched left an unmistakable warm feeling that spread to their brain, then their heart before petering out and leaving them feeling cold. They were sure their heart was racing.

Maka's head had pulled back quickly and she now scanned their face. There was a distinctly nervous look in her eyes and it almost scared them because Maka was never afraid. "Was that alright?"

They nodded, small and shaky, then again, more visibly. A relieved smile spread over her face like a wave and ever so gently, she drew them into an embrace. Her lips were at the edge of their ear as she spoke, shooting a shiver down their spine. Her voice was soft, but thick with feelings that seemed to be overflowing inside her. "I'm really proud of you, you know. You've come so far since you got here and just- it makes me so happy. You're really amazing Crona, and we're so glad to have you with us."

Her voice got quieter and she held them a little bit tighter. "And- I _really_ like you Crona."

They couldn't find the words to say to that, so they stayed silent, wrapping their arms around Maka and holding her back. She nuzzled her face into their neck. Time slipped away and in that moment the only sound in the room was the rustle of sheets and the soft whisper of wind as it blew away the little lines in the sand. They pulled closer.

But nothing lasts forever, and once the last line, the one resting at the toe of Crona's shoes that had tied up their tongue, once the had been blown away, Maka pulled back. With a soft, sad smile on her face, she brushed away the pinkish locks that had fallen across Crona's face. "It's pretty late, huh?"

They nodded and let go of her waist, allowing her to draw herself up to a sitting position. With a little stretch she stood and turned to look at them. Crona thought that maybe now, without all those lines, it was okay for them to find the action absolutely beautiful.

They followed suit, less gracefully, but within the minute they were standing beside Maka and watching as she made her way towards the doorway. She rested her hand on the doorway and turned back to grin at them. "Goodnight, Crona."

She had only just stepped into the hallway when they called out to her. She turned back, one eyebrow raised in confusion. Crona gripped at their robe and shuffled on their feet before saying. "Before you go… can- can we do that again?"

They bit their lip and fixed their eyes on the ground. They couldn't even say they word, but they wanted to feel that brief warmth again.

They couldn't see her face, but they could hear the surprise in her voice. "You want another kiss?"

They nodded flushing deeper and pulling one hand from their robe to grip their arm. There was a moment of silence, before the sound of footsteps filled the room and Crona felt Maka's fingers brush against their chin. They let her guide their head up and after only a moments hesitation, she pressed her lips against theirs.

This one was slower, more tender, lingering for a moment as if to savor it. Or maybe it just felt that way. In reality the kiss couldn't have last more than a second or two, but to Crona the world had stopped, pausing for a moment to let them drink in every last detail about Maka's lips. They were rough, but full, pressing firmly against them with a kind of restrained strength. She had lips like a warrior.

The little burn ignited by the first kiss came back in full force and their heart fluttered. Their whole body was warm, warm and safe, and they wanted nothing more than to lose themself in this feeling.

When she pulled back, Crona felt their head lean with her, not quite willing to let go of the contact that was making their heart flutter. The grin that had already etched itself onto her face widened, deepening Crona's black flush.

With a bright smile, she stamped another kiss on their cheek and waved goodbye, before disappearing down the halls with a little skip in her step.

For a moment Crona stood in the doorway, their fingers lingering at the lips before slipping to their still tingling cheek. The smile on Maka's face stayed clear in Crona's mind and they felt a soft feeling in their chest. Maka had a really nice smile. They'd give the whole entire world to see her smile like that again.


End file.
